Henry 'Ed' Triplett, 82
Henry "Ed" Triplett, 82, a native Flathead Valley resident, died "in peace" Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007, with many family members present.
Ed was born June 3, 1925, to Henry and Edna Triplett, the 10th child of 11 children. He was proceeded in death by his loving wife and childhood sweetheart, Beverly Triplett, on March 18, 2005.
Ed was born in a farmhouse between Kalispell and Whitefish, and was raised in a homestead cabin above Smith Valley. He went to work at the Flathead mine when was 15.
In the fall of 1944, he joined the U.S. Army. He boarded a ship for France in New York City on Christmas Eve 1944. He earned an expert rifle marksman designation and a sub-machine-gunner rating. He was trained as a Sherman Tank driver and began his active duty with the 707th Tank Battalion in the Battle of the Bulge. He drove through Belgium, across the Rhine River, and into Germany, just to the outskirts of Berlin. At the end of the war, he was stationed in Nuremberg, Germany, in the same building that later housed the Nuremberg trials. He earned the European African Middle Eastern service ribbon, the Good Conduct Medal and the Victory Medal.
He married Beverly Daly on Feb. 20, 1946. He trained as a meat cutter and worked as a logger. Together they raised five children; Beth, Steve, Tom, Bill and Danielle. They were proceeded in death by Tom and Beth in 2002.
In 1957, he purchased Sterling Grocery, and together Ed and Bev built a thriving business. In 1964, they sold the store and started Triplett Meats. There he became renowned for the custom cutting of beef, pork, game and making ham, bacon, thuringer and other specialty products. They sold the business in 1975 and with the help of friends and family, Ed built a home on his fathers' homestead land, nestled in the trees overlooking Smith Valley.
Ed was hired by Montana Power, and for the next 15 years he worked testing pipelines in Northwest Montana.
In his mid-50s, Ed taught himself to play the fiddle. He went on to be a member of the Montana Old-Time Fiddlers Association and won numerous fiddle contests in Montana and Canada. He encouraged Bev to play the guitar, and together they performed at Big Mountain for visitors from all over the world. They donated their talents at nursing homes, hospitals and events throughout the region. With the help of their son, Bill, they recorded several albums of their music that sold worldwide.
Ed is survived by his daughter, Danielle Prichard, of Kalispell; sons, Bill Triplett of Portland, Steve Triplett of Vancouver, Wash.; grandchildren, Michelle Boedecker, Kadin Prichard, Todd and Josh Harvey, and five great-grandchildren; sisters, Frankie Gibbs, Glen Rose of Texas, Belle Carter, Bend, Ore., and Tom Triplett, Whitefish; also numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
A memorial service, with military honors, will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Buffalo Hill Funeral Home, with a celebration of life potluck dinner at 2:30 p.m. at the Smith Valley School. Please bring musical instruments. Interment will be a private ceremony at Conrad Cemetery.